Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Short Interest Up 10.2% in December

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,710,000 shares, a growth of 10.2% from the December 15th total of 5,180,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,830,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $74,988.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 104,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,875,204. This represents a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,103 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 2,998 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 678.9% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 5,507 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 4,800 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,230,069 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,816,000 after purchasing an additional 20,426 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 166,736 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $3,635,000 after buying an additional 16,785 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,123,957 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $24,512,000 after buying an additional 20,870 shares during the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 1.2 %

LEVI traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $17.37. 1,397,789 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,136,090. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $17.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.22. The stock has a market cap of $6.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.70, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.16. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1-year low of $15.10 and a 1-year high of $24.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays initiated coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $22.50.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co designs, markets, and sells apparels and related accessories for men, women, and children worldwide. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, activewears, tops, shorts, skirts, dresses, jumpsuits, shirts, sweaters, jackets, footwear, and related accessories under the Levi's, Dockers, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co, Denizen, and Beyond Yoga brands.